1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integration and management apparatus and an integration and management system, which carry out integration and management of plural pieces of software, and, in particular, to an art for realizing a linkage of a function realized by the software.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a server-client-type software product has been introduced to an office environment, and various functions are provided. The various functions include functions to assist in operation and maintenance of apparatuses such as a MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), a LP (Laser Printer) or such which are introduced to the office environment. These functions include, for example, an apparatus management function of managing the introduced apparatuses based on collected apparatus information, a delivering function of realizing a data delivering workflow by using the introduced apparatuses, an authentication function of controlling usage permission of the introduced apparatuses, and so forth. Software products that realize these functions are developed and provided by different development divisions of the same software vendor or by different software vendors.
In the office environment, it is preferable to realize a linkage of the function among the plural software products that are developed and provided from various environments, and carry out integration and management of the functions.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-58921 (Patent Document 1) discloses an art relating to an integration and management server that has a part to add or delete a menu for an external system that is to be included in a linkage of a function, and start up and execute the added menu, for the purpose of easy registration or change of a function to be used by a linkage of a function.
However, in such an integration and management system, a linkage of a function for the purpose of using a function for a complementing usage or a mutual usage may be difficult.
It is noted that the complementing usage means complementing usage of the same function realized by plural pieces of software. The mutual usage means mutual usage of different functions realized by plural pieces of software.
Software products provided by software vendors are provided in a form of components to meet various user requirements, and are provided to the outside such as third vendors, IT divisions of enterprises that introduce the software products, or such, by providing program interfaces that are opened to the outside. Operating environments of many of the program interfaces provided in such a way are platforms provided by the software vendors.
Therefore, because of a difference in the operating environment of the provided program interface, it may be difficult to realize a linkage of a function for the above-mentioned purpose of a complementing usage or a mutual usage